Can the Politically Powerful Truly Be Governed by Law? The Case of an Israelite King - סנהדרין יט.-:, מלך לא דן ולא דנין אותו

The function of a judicial system is to hold people accountable to the law. But can the courts accomplish this even when those who need to be held accountable have tremendous political power? The example raised in the Gemara is the king, but truly the question could be asked about the possibility of the court bowing to anyone with power…In this shiur, we will examine whether מלך לא דן ולא דנין אותו represents an ideal separation of powers or whether it is merely a capitulation to the impossibility of holding kings accountable for their actions.

Sanhedrin 2, 19

Dr. Elana Stein Hain – [email protected]